Blister
by BlackJap
Summary: The harsher the burn, the chance of blisters increase until...the skin falls off and can not recover. Sequel to 'Burn'. NOT FOR KIDS; RATED M FOR A REASON!
1. Redness

**Blister**

A/N: I know…I told myself I wouldn't do a sequel to Burn, but I just HAD to do it. It was burning on the back of my mind for years. I don't own Tenchu, if I did it'd be on multiple platforms.

A/N 2: BTW this is a year after Tenchu 4 so SPOILERS!

WARNING: TORTURE, ABUSE, ETC. This story's rated M for a reason; if you're too young to read it (under 16 or 17) DON'T READ IT

Ch 1: Redness

Rikimaru sighed as he wiped a clean cloth around Ayame's wrist. It had taken over an hour to patch up the 24 year old's wounds; most of which the shinobi spent calming the younger woman down.

But it was understandable considering what Ayame had gone though.

Years of abuse and then…

'No,' thought Rikimaru, 'pity helps no one, Ayame is still _alive_, focus on that.' He tightened the bandage and looked at the kunoichi.

Ayame's hair hung limply around her face as she lay on an old futon in an abandoned hut, dressed in a long, dark blue kimono. She was curled in a ball on her side, her light brown eyes blank. Ayame immediately pulled her hand back as soon as the older man tightened the bandage. The kunoichi sniffled.

"Do you want something to eat?" Rikimaru asked softly. Ayame didn't answer; she just kept staring forward, barely blinking. "I'm sure it's been a while since you've eaten, so I'm going to make some soup, ok?" The shinobi reached his hand out to touch Ayame's shoulder, and the woman let out a choked sob before curling up tighter.

"Sorry," the silver-haired man pulled his arm back and put his hands up complacently, "I just…sorry." Dropping his arms, Rikimaru sighed before muttering that he'd be in the kitchen and stood up from his position on the ground.

As the leader of the Azuma clan walked to the small kitchenette area, Rikimaru couldn't help but feel glad that he was able to find somewhere to stay after not even a two day journey. While small, the wooden hut had a sitting room which was separate from the main part of the hut by a small wall, a kitchenette that was just big enough to prepare and cook foods, and a bedroom that was visible from the kitchen area; which was perfect considering the man didn't exactly want to leave the kunoichi alone right now…

_But really_, a voice snided in the back of Rikimaru's mind, _if Ayame _was_ going to kill herself, do you think you could stop her?_ The shinobi ignored it as he emptied a canteen of water in a [hopefully] relevantly clean pot along with some vegetables he stole from a farmer along the way. Rikimaru looked into the bedroom from where he stood, near the stove, where he saw that Ayame was still laying in the same position on the futon, facing the opposite wall. It was then the leader remembered what he said to the kunoichi not even a few minutes ago.

"_Sorry…"_

It really was a useless word. Rikimaru remembered the lessons Master Shiunsai would give, drilling his students in ethics, morality…the word 'sorry' was a sign of weakness, they learned. Action was what counted.

'And I'm the fool who decided _not_ to act. Gods, had I acted…had I just…' The white-haired man put his fist through a cabinet door, seething with anger at himself and at the one who started this whole damn mess. Pulling his fist out of the door, Rikimaru took a deep breath…then another before checking on the makeshift soup. After determining it was done, he poured a small amount into a chipped, wooden bowl and walked back into the bedroom; after putting the bowl on the floor a few feet away from Ayame (but still in her line of sight), Rikimaru sat next to the younger woman.

"Ayame," he began softly, "because I'm sure it's been a while since you've eaten, I made you some soup to eat. Can you feed youself?"

No answer.

With a sigh that would tell anyone that it was doomed to go downhill from this point forward, Rikimaru told the kunoichi softly, "I'm going to hold you up so I can feed you," he pushed the bowl of soup closer to Ayame; "I'm obviously going to have to touch you, but don't worry: I'm not going to hurt you; just feed you soup." The shinobi then moved forward and lifted the kunoichi up slightly.

The reaction was instantaneous.

"NO! LET GO! LET GO OF ME, PLEASE!!!" Ayame screamed, squirming in Rikimaru's grip, before sobbing, "please no…not again. Please not again."

"I'm not going to hurt you Ayame. I promise, all I'm doing is lifting you up so you can eat," The man leaned her against the wall and promptly let go of her while the woman shook and let out hiccupping sobs. "See, I told you I wouldn't hurt you and I didn't." Rikimaru said softly, "you're safe with me Ayame, and no one will ever hurt you again."

As the older man spoke, Ayame's eyes took on a glazed look, making them look like muted amber; she curled up into a fetal position. Rikimaru let out a shaky sigh, projecting sadness and muted anger.

"I'll kill whoever even _tries_ to hurt you again," He whispered putting the bowl to the kunoichi's lips.

To be continued…

A/N 3: Sorry if this chapter wasn't very good. I've been out of practice for quite a while so…yeah. Please read and review and include constructive criticism; I'll try to get the next chapter out ASAP.


	2. Pain

Ch 2: Pain

The clouds were a dark grey as they thundered over the bamboo forest, promising rain as a woman sat huddled against a tree holding only two precious bundles, containing all she could carry, against her chest. She jumped as a loud roar of thunder sounded and clutched the bundled bits of cloth closer as rain began to pelt her body. Suddenly a dark figure appeared kneeling in front of the woman causing her to let out a scream before a hand shot out to cover her mouth.

"Sorry," muttered the figure as he lowered his mask and his hand. The woman relaxed slightly,

"You mustn't scare me like that!" she whispered harshly. "My heart nearly leapt out of my throat!" Smoothing out her dirty kimono, she took note of the man's condition: he had slight bags under his eyes and was also shaking. The woman shook her head and touched his forehead, "you have a fever." It wasn't a question.

He sighed, "Hisano…"

"Yes, yes, I know Rikimaru. But you can't take care of Ayame if-"

"I'm not there to do so," the shinobi snapped, "we have to get a move on, now." Rikimaru stood as he helped the woman Hisano up. She was a slightly older woman in her early fifties, yet still quite beautiful, with black hair slightly peppered with grey tied in a bun.

"Alright then dear," she said shifting the bundles, "lead the way."

The walk back to the safehouse was quiet, with the exception of a few muffled coughs from Rikimaru. The healer, Hisano, held back a sigh; ever since Ayame disappeared, the shinobi barely took care of himself anymore. The young man had lost weight and barely slept and, even though he didn't admit it, Rikimaru blamed himself for Kiku's death and the kunoichi's "death".

Of course, the official story was that Ayame had been ambushed by a group of rouge samurai on her way to assassinate some human trafficker or another, and most believed the story. Rikimaru, on the other hand, believed his partner let herself be killed. After all, even when faced with a small army of enemies, both had the good sense to run when by themselves.

When arriving to the small hut, Rikimaru ordered the older woman to remain outside while he made sure no one had broken in; Hisano took that opportunity to look around the outside of the house in the small hopes that herbs grew nearby, for the amount she brought with her was only enough to treat fevers and minor infections.

'And I'll be dammed if that stubborn boy doesn't take anything for his fever; even if I have to shove it down his throat!' The healer thought fiercely as the tired looking shinobi stepped out the door and signaled that she could enter.

Immediately upon walking in, Rikimaru shut the door and barricaded it with a pitiful-looking shelf, before moving swiftly to the room Hisano presumed Ayame was in.

"I haven't made dinner yet, Hisano-san," he said after looking in on the kunoichi, "so if you could change the bandages on Ayame's wrists and ribs…?" The shinobi started to walk past the healer towards the kitchen area, and quickly grabbed the counter to steady himself as his vision began to tunnel. The healer put down the bundles she had before grabbing the younger man around the waist and putting his arm over her shoulders.

"Dinner can wait," Hisano said firmly as she walked Rikimaru back to Ayame's room, "right now, you need medicine and rest. You've done quite enough for the time being." The older woman eased the man onto the spare fouton gently and covered him with a blanket.

"I'm-" The shinobi tried to protest.

"Not another word out of you," Hisano snapped before softening her tone," just sleep. I'll take care of everything, and will wake you in an hour."

With much hesitation, Rikimaru countered, "15 minutes."

"Fine."

With that, Rikimaru rolled on his side and finally went to sleep.

Hisano shook her head, with a small smile on her lips, remembering the little games that Ayame and Rikimaru would play with her; arguing, teasing, and even bartering when forced to stay in the infirmary just to get on the older woman's nerves. And it never ceased to work.

The healer moved to the sleeping figure on the other side of the room. Ayame was curled into a ball and sleeping, covered with a blanket. With a resigned sigh, not knowing that the extent of her injuries, Hisano pulled back the blanket and gently opened the top of the woman's dark blue kimono, noting the slightly blood-stained bandages wrapped tightly around her ribs. The healer walked out of the room to retrieve her bundles that she remembered were left by the front door, before unwrapping one which contained clean bandages, herbs, potions, a pestle, and a mortar amongst other things. As Hisano began to grind several herbs together, in order to prevent any wounds her patient had from getting infected, she happened to glance up seeing Ayame glaring at her.

"Where?" The kunoichi rasped out.

"We're in a-"

"Where is he?" The young woman's arm snapped out with more speed than the healer expected, especially since Ayame had been locked up for almost a year, and grabbed the front of Hisano's kimono.

"Ayame, you need to-"

"SHUT UP AND TELL ME WHERE MY CHILD IS YOU BITCH!" Ayame yelled before collapsing into a coughing fit. Rikimaru was already awake and at his partner's side, murmuring soothing words as Ayame broke into sobs and fell into the world of sleep once more.

The shinobi's sigh turned into a growl as he rubbed his face, exhaustion pushed to the back of his mind as more pressing matters were needed to be attended to:

"What else, pray tell," Rikimaru growled dangerously, "have you neglected to tell me?"

The older woman shrank back and winced as she opened her mouth to speak, just in time for both of them to notice the unopened bundle to begin to move.

TBC

AN 1: I _promise_ there won't be a year in between updates for the next chapter.

A/N 2: Sorry for the excessive bars, I couldn't figure out how to fix it in word. If anyone does, shoot me a PM, please.

A/N 3: Please review constructively and thanks to those who've been reviewing and favoring; you patience is phenomenal! 3 3 3


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